Key holder



Oct. 1, 1929. 1.. 1.. SALFISBERG 1,730,246

' KEY HOLDER Filed Sept, 20, 1927 Z. ja/f/lsje/ y.

Patented Get. 1, 1929 warts LEROY L. SALFISIBER-G, OF SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY KEY HOLDER Application filed. September 20, 1927. Serial No. 220,693.

This invention relates to improvements in key holders or carriers adapted to support a plurality of keys.

One of the objects of the invention resides in the provision of a novel and unique holder whereby a plurality of keys may be rotatively supported on a base member and friotionally held in assembled position.

Another object of the invention resides in providing means, resilient in nature, whereby keys may be readily removed or added to the base member.

Still another object is to provide a base member suitably formed to be slidably cooperated with certain removable key retaining means during the addition or removal of an individual key or a plurality thereof.

l/Vith these objects in view, together with others which will appear as the description 2 proceeds, the invention resides in the novel formation, combination, and arrangement of parts, all as will be described more fully hereinafter, illustrated in the drawings, and par ticularly pointed out in the claims. In said drawings:

Figure l is a plan View of the holder, the keys being shown in dot-and-dash lines.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, two keys being shown for illustrative purposes. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, central sectional view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the base member. Fig. 5 is a similar detail view of the springsupporting disk; and Fig. 6 is a central sectional view of the depressible portion, or thumb-piece, of the key-retaining means, prior to its shaping to receive the extremity of a ball chain.

Proceeding now with the detailed description of the holder, the numeral 10 denotes the base member, suitably proportioned as to length to receive a plurality of keys when said keys are arranged reversely to the position indicated by the key A, said base member 10 being provided with a key-ring receiving opening 12 at one end and an aperture 11 at the other, the latter aperture being joined to an opening 13 by means of a slot 1%. The key-retaining means comprises a disk 15, above which is resiliently mounted suitable depressible means or thumb-piece 16, through the intermediary of a coiled spring 17, the lower portion of said thumb-piece 16 having its straight sides 18, (see Fig. 6) pressed inwardly and apertured to receive one end of a ball chain 19. As shown in Fig. 3 said ball chain 19 passes through an aperture 20 formed in the base of said' disk 15, then into the openings found in most keys and finally drops through the aperture 11 6O in said base member 10. It will be noted that said aperture 11 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the individual ball elements of the chain '19, but is large enough to receive the connecting links 19 thereof. This sub ject-matter will be referred to again as the description proceeds.

The particular way of assembling the parts just described, and as shown in the drawings, are simply illustrative, for instance said disk 7 15 may have its peripheral edge rounded over as indicated at 22, in order to neatly engage the lower convolution of said spring 17, and further the sides of said thumb-piece 16 may be grooved, as shown at 23, to receive the top convolution of said spring. This construction makes for a neat and attractive appearance and hence represents my preferred form.

In the drawings the device is shown as supso porting the keys, and it will be noted that the natural expansion of spring 1'? maintains the thumb-piece 16in an elevated position and exerts a pull on the ball-chain 19. Since the individual balls of said chain are larger than the diameter of said aperture 11 a tight clamping action is exerted with the result that the keys are frictionally held to the base member 10. Naturally they are free to rotate to the position indicated by the keys A and B, when a selected key is to be used, or the keys as a whole may be rotated to bear upon the surface of said base member in a direction pointing toward the key-ring opening 12. When in this position they may be easily carried in the pocket, andsince they are frictionally held in position no rattling or jumbled arrangement in the pocket is possible. This is a feature of some importance.

When it is desired to add a key or to re- 10 move a key, the thumb-piece 16 is depressed against the action of spring 17 thus freeing the particular ball of the chain 19 from its engagement with the perimeter of said aperture 11, and since the space between the balls is greater than the thickness of the base member 10, said key-retaining means may be slid along the slot 1 1 to the opening 13 and the chain 19 lifted therethrough. The keys may now be separated from the chain or additional ones strung thereon and the operation reversed until the parts assume the position indicated in Fig. 3.

In the manufacture of the device the uppermost ball of the chain 19 will be inserted within the sides 18 of the thumb-piece 16 and the tips of said sides may be pressed inwardly to engage therewith.

The device is exceedingly neat and attractive and admirably adapted to perform its functions. The size of the same may vary, but Fig. 4: shows approximately the actual size of the base member, the parts shown in Figs. 1 to 3 being reduced of course to conform therewith.

While the present is a disclosure of the preferred embodiment of the invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited. thereto, as various changes in the minor details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to liberally without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1.. A key holder comprising a base member having a slot therein and a tensioned key-retaining member supported by said base member, said tensioned member embodying a flexible element having a plurality of enlarged portions adapted to be selectively held in one end of said slot, said enlarged portions being connected by links narrower than the width of said slot and upon depression of said tensioned member adapted to permit sliding movement of the flexible element to a wider portion of said slot for the removal of said key-retaining member. 1

2. A keyholder comprising a base member having a pair of unequal apertures connected by a slot and a tensioned key-retaining member supported by said base member, said tensioned member embodying a flexible element having a plurality of enlarged portions adapted to be selectively held in the smaller of said apertures, said enlarged portions being connected by links narrower than the width of said slot and upon depression of said tensioned member adapted to permit sliding movement of the flexible element along said slot to the larger aperture in the latter for the removal of said key-retaining member.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

LEROY L. SALFISBERG. 

